Elon Musk's SpaceX is proceeding with an acquisition of Mesh Optical Technologies, a burgeoning startup established by three former SpaceX engineers. The move, which surfaced through a US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filing and was initially reported by Bloomberg, indicates that the agency has fast-tracked its antitrust assessment, effectively giving the green light for the deal.
Mesh Optical Technologies, founded last year by Travis Brashears, Cameron Ramos, and Serena Grown-Haeberli, specialises in developing cutting-edge hardware for high-speed data centre communications. The company only emerged from its 'stealth' phase in February, announcing a significant Series A funding round of £39.5 million (USD 50 million), led by Thrive Capital. Before establishing Mesh, the co-founders were instrumental in developing the crucial optical communication links that interconnect thousands of SpaceX's Starlink satellites.
The engineers behind Mesh identified a substantial opportunity to apply their expertise in optical transceivers to terrestrial data centres. Their technology leverages light-based hardware, which offers distinct advantages over conventional electrical systems. These include superior speed and significantly enhanced energy efficiency, critical factors as data demands continue to escalate globally.
This acquisition arrives at a time when SpaceX is expanding its footprint in the data centre sector. The company has recently forged agreements with prominent AI developers such as Anthropic, Google, and Reflection AI, providing them with essential compute capacity at its data centres. This diversification is generating a notable new revenue stream for SpaceX, which recently became a publicly traded company.
The integration of Mesh's technology could substantially improve the operational efficiency of SpaceX's data centres, whether they are located on Earth or, in a potential future scenario, in space. This strategic acquisition underscores SpaceX's ambition to not only innovate in space exploration but also to enhance critical infrastructure supporting the burgeoning artificial intelligence industry.